Electrically-operated swing



' L. O. WITHUN ELEcTR IcAL Y OPERATEb swnm Filed March 29, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 L. O. T-n Tz'thun Aug. 19 1924. L. o. WITHUN ELECTRICALLY. OPERATED SWING FiledMarch 2 9. 1923 Sheets-Sheet 2 L. O. WITHUN Aug. 19, 1924. 1,505,117

ELECTRICALLY OPERATED SWING Filed March 29, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 19, 1924. 1,505,117

L. O. WITHUN ED SWING Filed March 29. 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 L. 0. Met/van 4? Lt Gamm UNITED. STATES PAT-ENT- OFFICE.

- LAWRENCE OTTO WITEUN, F CAPAC, MICHIGAN.

ELEc'rarcALLY-oramrm swine.

application filed March 29, 1928. Serial No. 628,569.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known 't at I, LAWRENCE O'rro WITHUN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Capac, in the county of Saint Clair and tate of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Operated Swings, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to electrically operated swings in general and moreparticularly to cradles. The main object of the invention is to provide a stand for the swing or cradle, upon which the latter is mounted to oscillate,- and to provide means for operating the cradle electrically. The stand is for this purpose provided with a rocking shaft, set in motion by an electric motor and from which shaft the swing, whether in the form of a seat or a cradle, is suspended on flexible arms in order to give a gentle rocking motion to the swing.

In the accompanying drawings preferred and modified forms of the invention have been illustrated, and;

Figure 1 shows 'in perspective view, a

cradle mounted. in a stand, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of Fi re 1; Figure 3, a vertical section of igure 1; Figure 4 is a top plan view of the motor drive;

Figure 5 is Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a section along line 6-6 of Figure 3; Figure 7, a vertical'section of a detail of the device; Figure 8 is an endfview of a modified form of the stand and cradle; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the application of the device to a seat.

The device consists of a stand 10 provided with a base 11 resting on casters 12. This base com rises two stout boards 13 a section along line 5--5 of running the entlre length of the base. Upon are secured to the base b -straps 26 preferably of band iron bolte 'base and the legs. 'Between. the boards 13 and the legs 14 are shown'braces 18, which r'riveted to the.

-are riveted 0r bolted to the boards and the legs in order to make a rigid structure. These braces do not reach more than about one-third of the way up the legs 14, so as not to interfere with the swinging of the cradle or the seat.

Upon the shaft 16, which is mounted to turn in the bearings 15, are fastened at each end a pair of arms 19 of some flexible material such as spring steel or the like. These arms are secured on the rockin shaft so as'to oscillate with the same, an the arms terminate at their lower ends with hooks 20 adapted to engage in corresponding staples 21 attached at the upper side of the cradle 22 and at each end thereof. These arms 19 are preferably arched so as to yield from the weight of the cradle. and t0 ive an elastic movement. Collars 80 inne' on the shaft keep the latter in posltion between the bearings 15.

The cradle 22 may of any shape or construction, and the one shown in the-drawings is built in the type of a crate with slatted'sides 23, ends 24 and bottom 25, as clearly seen in Figure 1.

Firmly secured on the rocking shaft 16'.

and atone end thereof is, shown a horizontally extending lever 27, see Figures 2, 3 and 7. This lever has a hub 28 enclosing the shaft and .keye'd or bolted to the same to prevent turning between the shaft and the.

lever. The lever has a transversely open slot 29 running along the greater part of its length, and in this slot is mounted a "slide 30, which is threaded and engages an endless adjusting screw 31 mounted to re volve in the lever 27 and extendingthrough a bore across the shaft 16, terminating on the opposite side thereof with a crank handle 32; By turning this crank handle,

the screw '31 revolves displacing the slide towards or away from the shaft 16.

The slide 30 has an arm 33 in which is jaurnaled as at 34,1; head'35 for an actuating rod 36' which is preferably threaded therein and'secured by a lock nut 37, as best seen in Figure 7. The other end of the actuating rod 36 is similarly threaded and secured by a locking nut 38 in an 080 11- lating block 39. This block 39 is journaled on the'bolt 40 carried in a sliding plate llm ounted in a radial slot 42 on a rotat- L,ing disk 43. The sliding glate 41 is adapted to be secured,- in the set 42 by means ing halves 49 and 50 rigidly bolted together as at 51. A central chamber 52 is formed in-this casing and on roller or any other antifriction bearings 53 is mounted a worm shaft-54 having a worm 55 engaging with between t irty the worm gear 47. One of the casing halves 49 may be provided with lubricating cups 56.

At one end of the horizontally running worm shaft 54 is attached a mud coupling 57 connecting it with the shaft 58 of an electric motor 59. The ratio of the gearing 46 and '55 is such that the speed of the motor 59,

which is nerally very high, is reduced to and'forty revolutions per minute of the stub shaft 46, this having been found to be a suitable speed for rockingthe swing.

' 60 fits within the At 60, in Figures 1, 2 and 3, is showni-a housing for the motor 59 and the gear casing 48. This housing has preferably a pair of slide shutters 61 on top, with a small opening 62, through which the actuating rod pro ects in upward direction to connect with the oscillatm lever 27. This housing ame 63 attached to the base ll and within this frame, the motor 59 and the casing 48 are positioned and bolted tothe in the usual manner.

From the source of electric power, conductors- 64 lead to a socket'65 on the housing 60, and cable 66 preferably runs from this socket to a switch 67 near the top of the stand and from there to another socket 68 on the opposite end of the housin 60 and into the motor 59. If'desired, this socket 68 may also be provided with a switch 69 so that elther one of the switches may be used,

as most convenient for starting the motor 59.

In Figure 9, the swing is represented with an ordinary seat '70, which is suspended by flexible arms 19 from the rocking shaft 16,.

mounted at the to of the stand 10 as a1- e seat 70 is rocked in" ready described. the same manner as the cradle 22, through the oo-operation of" the oscillating lever 27 and the actuating rod 36 from the and motor positioned in the housing 60.

on said lever, an endless screw in said lever base, and suitable connection between said In Figure "8, a modified form of flexible arms has been shown. These arms consist of tension rods 71 and 72, between which a coil spring 73 is inserted, while the upper end of each rod 71 is secured on a yoke 74 carried by the rocking shaft 16. The lower ends 75 of the rods 72 engage in the staples 21 on the cradle 22 as already explained. In all other respects the construction of the stand and the oscillating device is the same as already described.

Referring particularly to Figures 3, 6 and 7, it is evident that b means of the double adjustment provide the swinging of the cradle or the seat can be very closely regulated. If, for instance, the crank handle 32 is turned to retract the slide 30 inwards or in the direction of the rocking shaft 16, the angular swinging of the cradle or seat will be increased, and when the crank handle 32 is turned in opposite direction, so that the slide 30 travels away;, from the shaft 16, the angular oscillations may be dimin ished under the supposition .that the lever arm on the disk 43 remains" constant. Further adj ustmcnt is possible'to increase or decrease the lever arm on the disk 43 by set- .tin the journal bolt 40 further out or closer to t e disk 43 and clamping it in position by the straps 44 and bolts 45.

The swing can be easily shifted from room to room or to different places on the porch,

as the stand is mounted on casters 12, and to facilitate this shiftingi handles 76 are provided at each end of t e stand.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

A'swing comprising a base, a pair of u standing straddled legs at each end of t e base, a bracket for each pair of legs uniting their upper ends and constituting a bearing, a shaft mounted to oscillate in said bearings, arms extending from said shaft, a member suspended at the free ends of sai arms, and means actuated from a source of power adapted to oscillate said shaft; said means including a lever on said shaft, a slide engaging with said slide, a crank handle on said screw for adjusting the position of the slide on the lever, and an actuating rod pivoted on said slide, an electric motor on said motor and said actuating rod.

In testimon whereof aflix my signature.

- warm: ono wmnm. 1. 

